Advantages And Disadvantages Of Corporal Punishment

The diversity in ethnicities and cultures throughout the world is extreme. These cultures come with different visions in disciplinary action whether it seems logical or not in other points of views. The world has different perspectives and different people to back up their reasons behind the actions taken. The main controversy that has been taken on for years in several parts of the world is the debate of whether or not spanking, as a disciplinary action for children when they are misbehaving. As expressed in these three articles: “Today’s Child Abuse Creates Tomorrow’s Criminals” by Chandre Gould, “The Overwhelming Evidence Against Spanking” by Meghan Leahy, and “Disciplinary Spanking is Not Child Abuse” by Okey, Chigbo; there are severa pros and cons to an action such as spanking. This specific disciplinary action can affect the life of a human being for either a short term and long term effect.

When it comes to disciplining children there are many different schools of thought and beliefs of what is right and wrong. These different opinions have been reviewed, discussed and argued by many different adults including parents, teachers, psychologists, and lawmakers. Every day parents must make decisions on what they believe is ethically and morally right when they discipline their children. Corporal punishment is one such decision. By definition, corporal punishment is “the infliction of physical pain upon a person’s body as punishment for a crime or infraction” (Encyclopedia, 2015). In a more general sense of the term, it refers to the physical disciplining of children.

A recent study shows 70 percent of parents believe it is right to discipline a child through physical means. Most commonly, parents will spank their children but being hit with things like belts or other objects happens as well. Parenting methods haven’t changed much with time and discipline in similar no matter the country. With more studies out to find the most effective method of parenting and discipline it’s coming to attention whether or not physical harm is the best way to teach children. Parents want what is best for their children, so it is important to constantly bring up and question methods commonly accepted in the past. One method that is becoming more controversial is spanking children. Though it is still considered normal to do, it is gaining more traction and more studies are being done to find the problems it causes. Checking on parenting methods can be difficult as everyone is raised differently. It is also difficult to test which forms of punishment lead to certain outcomes. However, there is a trend of negative effects from hitting. Gershoff acknowledges, “several national professional organizations have called on parents to abandon spanking as a child rearing practice and for professionals to recommend disciplinary alternatives to spanking.” Spanking children is a terrible discipline method as it has negative effects.

Thomas Eddlem is a longtime freelance writer and high school history teacher. His credentials as related to the topic of corporal punishment is that he is a parent to three children as well as a blogger. His stake in this issue is appropriately used corporal punishment is both effective and beneficial. Additionally, He discloses no noteable financial backing for his opinions. He aims this article at a universal/ friendly audience. His purpose is to persuade the audience to believe that corporal punishment, when used on toddlers, is the most effective means of discipline. He claims a ban

Despite there being support for some of the short and long-term benefits of corporal punishment, there is plenty of opposition to corporal punishment for a variety of reasons. Starting as early as the 1960s, corporal punishment has been said to be “unacceptably degrading punishment” (Lenta 2012: 692), “harsh discipline” (Mayer and Blome, 2013: 145) and psychologically distressing (McLloyd et. al 2007:166).

In 2013, Adrian Peterson, a Minnesota Vikings running back, faced felony charges and indicted by a jury with reckless injury of a child (Goessling). This incident sparked controversy on the topic of where the line is drawn between discipline and abuse. Oxford dictionary defines corporal punishment as: “physical punishment, such as caning or flogging.” On one hand, many parents argue that spanking or other corporal punishments are not abusive because it teaches respect and consequences for bad behavior. However, on the other hand, others maintain that spanking and other corporal punishments are harmful because it does not teach respect but instead inspires fear in the child and does not effectively teach them what they did wrong or what they did to deserve such punishment. Seeing both sides of the argument, I argue that the line between abuse and discipline is crossed when the punishment causes damage to the child, whether physical or psychological. I would go on to argue that spanking and other corporal punishments are not ideal because it does not show the child what he or she did wrong, can escalate into harsher punishment and borderline abuse, and has been shown to not be effective and can actually cause more behavioral problems in children.

Spanking, also known as corporal punishment is a highly controversial method of discipline that parents currently use in an attempt to modify their children’s misbehavior. This type of punishment is not known to uplift the essence of education in children, and many parents and researchers feel that spanking leads to developmental problems. Research studies show how spanking produces a negative effect in children, and parents and caregivers should reconsider the use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline for their children because of its harmful effects. In addition, there are other, better alternatives that can be used to discipline children.

When considering the effectiveness of corporal punishment, it is important to take into consideration the effects that it has on whole populations rather than just one case. Jared Pingleton, a clinical psychologist and a minister writes in an article for Focus on the Family as an appeal for the necessity of corporal punishment, “Many parents today view themselves primarily as their child’s friend and recoil at the idea of administering discipline. Children, though, desperately need their parents’ love and affirmation as well as their authoritative guidance and correction”. (Pingleton, 2014) This way of thinking about discipline is very important regardless of whether corporal discipline is used, but the use of spanking is often the most immediately effective way of conveying this message. Pingleton suggests in his step by step guide to carrying out discipline that when a parent approaches spanking properly, it can create a lasting sense of love and respect between the parent and the child. Spanking is used around the world to influence child development, and although it has many positives, it is also necessary to examine its’ alternatives.

During these times corporal punishment was very prevalent it was simply the norm. It wasn’t until later that Western society started to change their views on the subject. As a consequence of our changing views on children and the change in society itself after the industrial

Implementing physical punishment is a topic that many people and even professionals seem to have some disagreement on it. Some believe that spanking should be used to discipline children, but others believe that spanking brings more damage than results. In this paper I will define what physical punishment is and where I stand in regards of this matter. In addition, I will explain the advice I would give to a parent who asks if spanking is a correct way of disciplining their children.

This issue of corporal punishment is a current issue that many people have on their minds. The issue strikes an emotional chord for many whom were or were not punished by spanking during their own childhoods. The issue generally focuses on the effect that spanking or other discipline methods will have on children. I will specifically be exploring the question: is it ever appropriate to spank a child? The cases for and against the spanking of young children are many and varied. But the main issue is the level of appropriateness that the act can reach.

Christian Science Publishing Society. Retrieved from: http://find.galegroup.com This research was conducted to inform whether or not parents should be banned by the law from spanking their child/children. The pros and cons in this article started by referencing to the late 1800’s, when in London, the ban of spanking had begun. It had started by banning teachers from punishing their students only to end in this debate from the parents. The main question being asked is “when does parental discipline cross the line from an occasional spank to keep an unruly child in order to a beating?” Being spanked as a child, might be the most horrific thing a child

For centuries the use of corporal punishment has been an accepted form of discipline worldwide and was seen as an appropriate way of “eliciting behavioral compliance that was conceptually distinct from physical abuse” (Durrant & Ensom, 2012, p. 1373). The last 20 years, however, there has been a dramatic shift in this ideal among the international community. The early 1990’s ushered in numerous research studies that suggested a negative correlation between the use of corporal punishment and emotional, mental, and developmental issues in children (Durrant & Ensom, 2012). Studies have also indicated that the higher number of instances of violence perpetrated on children in the form of corporal punishment, the higher the levels of adult violence. They also suggest that the frequent use of corporal punishment, not only leads to child aggression but also delinquency and criminality. There are also indications that societies who view corporal punishment is relatively normative, more accepting

Many studies have come out with negative effects that can come about from using many forms of corporal punishment. As parents we need to ask ourselves are we able to control ourselves when we are upset at our kids? Are we able to be fair to our kids? Can the things we do to our children come back and turn out to be used against us and others? “Corporal punishment

The world has changed in many different ways, but there are still things that need to be changed for the better. Corporal punishment is one of those things. All around the world, corporal punishment is affecting children in many ways. It is described as a form of discipline that hurts a child in a way and is used both in homes and schools. It has been going on for years upon years and very few people try to stop it. People believe corporal punishment is good for children, but there have been so many negative outcomes that other people argue against it. Although some people believe that corporal punishment helps improve a child’s behavior, corporal punishment should not be used because it could be used excessively and it is ineffective.